A Thousand Lives was really interesting. I had a general idea of what happened at Jonestown, but this was a really interesting and personal look at whA Thousand Lives was really interesting. I had a general idea of what happened at Jonestown, but this was a really interesting and personal look at what it was like for some of the people who survived Jonestown. You get a great look at the kind of people who were drawn to Jim Jones, and how he went from a charismatic guy on a corner, to someone who was addicted to drugs and seemed paranoid.

You see people who were so full of hope at the beginning, and so full of despair at the end. I liked that you see how long it took for People's Temple to go from one end of the spectrum to the other. You see why they stayed loyal to him, even when they didn't want to, and that the signs of his own instability were there long before the group committed mass suicide. You see everyone from well-educated people to people who were in prison who would follow him to the ends of the earth.

I definitely got the sense that Scheeres really identified with the members of People's Temple. You really feel for them at times, and she does do a great job with showing why people didn't try to leave. At the same time, though, it focused more on the people in Jonestown and not enough on Jim Jones. I would have liked more background on him. It definitely leans towards portraying him in a negative light. I get why, but more of his childhood, and more about him would have been nice.

It does jump around a lot in terms of timeline, and keeping track of people was somewhat difficult, which made it a little harder to keep track of what was going on.

As far as the narration goes, Robin Miles did a great job narrating.

Final thoughts: I liked it, and thought it was an interesting look at Jonestown. It gets a 3 out of 5. ...more

Fast Food Nation is an interesting book. I first read it for a sociology class years ago, and I decided to read it again.

It’s about the fast food indFast Food Nation is an interesting book. I first read it for a sociology class years ago, and I decided to read it again.

It’s about the fast food industry, and how it’s changed over since World War 2. He also talk about marketing to kids and what it’s like working in the slaughterhouses.

The part about the meat-packing industry was interesting and yet disturbing. He describes what it’s like working there and what happens to the animals. The workers work in terrible conditions, with injuries not being reported. If they are, then a lot of them are falsified so the slaughterhouses don’t get into trouble. And the workers that keep working no matter how sick they felt and no matter how bad any injuries were sustained.

I’ve had my copy for several years now, so I’m sure some of the statistics are out-dated. And while I loved the book the first time I read it, this time, it was just okay. We all know fast food is bad for us, but the book felt like a one-sided argument on why fast food is evil. It’s definitely implied that fast food is the reason for all of society’s problems.

It is fairly well-researched, though, and it did make me think about where my food comes from and how it’s processed.

I would give it a 2 out of 5. It felt one-sided, and not terribly focused, but it does get points for making you think....more